The winner of the Strend challenge -- a woman

Joanne Armstrong came to Syracuse with her husband and daughter from Kingston, Ontario July 12 for the Strend Challenge, a strength and endurance testing event. She intended to be a spectator.

Strend organizer Dan Ganley, "after a little pleading and begging," talked Armstrong into competing. She would be the first female participant, he told her.

Armstrong won.

Among 17 competitors, she came out on top.

"The only difference was her bench press and behind-the-neck press for 60 percent and 30 percent bodyweight, instead of the 100 percent and the 50 percent for the men. The chin-ups, pull-ups and dips were the same," Ganley says. Learn more about the challenge at www.strend.com